I know this is a complicated economic subject and I can often feel defeated when I try to put a dent in the manufacturing monsters.

And while this isn’t all going to change in a day, I’m also encouraged by what I see. There are brands and products that are conscience of the people in the process.

I think (and hope) the future belongs to those leaders.

Because I believe you and I wouldn’t make purchases the way we do if we could see how it got there.

Justin and I have been working on small ways we, as consumers, can inform the supply chain:

Ask questions before buying.

We’ve called & emailed some of our favourite brands to learn more. If enough customers are asking, it has to eventually turn their head.

You can ask questions like “What can you tell me about your supply chain?” or “How are you involved in the manufacturing of your products?”

Some companies give really “fluffy” answers, but others will give a solid system and action plan. Join us, let companies know this matters to you?

Plan and save for quality, ethically made products to use for many years.

This used to be normal, but in our instant-gratification culture, planning and saving has become an art.

Having to wait helps affirm that we will still appreciate the product months or years later instead of getting tired of it. If we forget or lose interest before we even buy it, clearly we don’t need it.

Curb spontaneous spending.

This has looked different for each of us, but it comes down to having a solid filter we put new purchases through.

Purging our closets and defining ‘essential’ with help ofblogs like this one and UnStuff Your Life is really helping us define NEED. The more we can curb the frivolous spending and just buy what we actually need, the better.

By no means are we experts at this. In fact, we are rookies that fail often. But this is important and we are working on it.

Hold us to it, ok?

How about you? What do you do in an effort to buy better?

Sarah

Sarah according to Justin – brings a kindness, compassion and empathy to every conversation she finds herself in. She has a remarkable gift for reaching out and leaving others better than when she met them. She’s also a devoted, patient, and loving wife and mother with a passion for seeing God’s love realized in this world.

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RyanSeptember 7, 2017

There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace. Aldo Leopold